Good news from the beginning of our harvest, the first grapes coming in are both looking good, with great levels of maturity and acidities.

On the agenda of this first day of Monday 27: the 3 varieties of the pinot family: Pinot Noirs, gris and blanc. We were somewhat worried to be receiving in the beginning some grapes of plots whose sanitary state could have been degraded. It is not the case at all.

Tuesday 28 is the first day when our wine growers under contract are invited to pick the Muscat varietals. As far as we are concerned, only about 5 acres are planted with this grape who where remarkably healthy allowing us to do some cold maceration: destemming  prior to a 12 hours skin contact. We take advantage of this day to harvest as well our own young plot of Muscat (a mix of white and red Muscat d'Alsace à petits grains) located in the Schoenenbourg.

Pinot Blancs, auxerrois come in at an average close to 12° and the first Pinot Gris between 13 and 14. We even receive some auxerrois lots at over 15° potential without a single rotten berry.

The weather forecast for the coming days remaining cool and overcast with chances of light rain we decide to bring in our very best plots of Pinot Noirs under still optimal conditions. The grapes were perfectly sound with average ripening degrees of 12,6°. A beautiful Jubilee in prospect...

From Thursday on and for the rest of the week we start to bring in the first gewurztraminers purchased from vineyards located mainly in the region south of Colmar in clay and limestone soils.

In our estate, a limited team of 15 pickers harvest some lesser Pinot Gris vineyards located in the lighter terroirs of Riquewihr with dergrees well over 14 ! Who said 2010 would be a difficult vintage ?

A quick video below to explain the way we work. Despite the large volumes we currently receive, we do not cut any corners: grapes are exclusively hand harvested, every single container is measured, identified and processed by gravity for a long slow pressing followed by a static settling of the must. Truly hand crafted wines, for your enjoyment...

Again this year, a website (in French) has been put in place by the CIVA dedicated to controls of maturities with a possibility of comparing the values of sugar contents and acidities with the previous years.

The harvest of our own estate begins with a reduced team for now. The first two weeks of harvest will be primarily devoted to the reception of grapes (harvested exclusively by hand) of our contract growers according to a planning which will enable us to manage in the best possible conditions our 2010 vintage.

Just 4 days from the start of our harvest at Hugel, Marc gives us his impressions and prospects on the vintage 2010 in Alsace